in the News

July 6, 2022 - Hudson’s Hope a provincial physical powerhouse

PG Citizen - Article

Hudson’s Hope took the number one slot for ParticipAction’s 2022 Community Better Challenge provincially, beating competitors from across B.C. Nationally, the community placed 11th.  

The challenge is a nation-wide physical activity initiative that encourages Canadians to get active in search of Canada's Most Active Community, with residents having tracked their physical activity minutes online all throughout June.  

Kelsey Shewfelt, the district's recreation co-ordinator, says she’s proud the town of less than 1,000 people held its own across B.C. and across Canada, with 306 communities in the running.  

April 7,  2021 - Get out and Ride with the Prince George ATV Club

by Marlaine Mohr, Prince George ATV Club

The Prince George ATV Club welcomes you to become a member or to renew your membership for 2021.  Riding is a Covid-19 friendly way to get out of your house after a long, cooped up winter.  The health benefits of being outside, and in nature, are well documented and PGATV encourages members to get out and ride and have fun in 2021.

We know there are going to be many more riders on the trails this year after record ATV and UTV (side by sides) sales in 2020.  PGATV encourages all riders to take an ATV Safety Course, to wear helmets and in UTVs to wear seatbelts too.  PG ATV has their own trainer for both ATV and UTV Safety Courses.  By joining the club the training rate is only $50.00 whereas non club members’ fees start at $175.00.  Kids are welcome.

If you are looking for some great rides and fun events and want to staycation in B.C. this year consider joining a great group of ATVers.  Help protect your privilege to ride by joining or maintaining membership with the Prince George ATV Club.  Your dollars help us to protect your right to ride in B.C. and maintain local and provincial trails.

In addition to the hundreds of kilometres of trails club volunteers build and maintain, membership comes with a number of benefits and member discounts.  

Please support your sport.  Our strength is YOU!

July 22, 2021 - Everything you need to know to ATV around Wells, B.C.

ATVers searching for a spot to set up shop should stay in Wells, B.C.

ATVBC Archive Story

Neighbouring clubs and riders congregate in Wells for a variety of reasons, not least of which is its accessibility and hospitality. ATVers have permission to ride their quads on marked streets in Wells. Visiting ATVers are able to buy fuel and meals and stay in hotels in town.— Photo courtesy Frank Muhle.

Wells is the ATVing hub of central British Columbia. Regardless of what direction you drive or where you choose to explore, Wells has the trails, views and accommodations to create an exceptional experience.

October 29, 2018 - Province funds ATV trail network upgrade

PG Citizen-  Article
Prince George off-road vehicle trails just got a significant cash injection from the provincial government. The money will be used in large part to upgrade the backcountry network that makes this area one of B.C.'s best ATV tourism and recreation destinations.

Local enthusiasts have been rolling their quads and side-by-sides, and other wilderwheels through the great Omineca-Cariboo outdoors for decades. This past summer, though, it was a small army of all-terrain vehicle visitors who came in for the wow-ride, and in the wake of that - the ATVBC Quad Riders Association of British Columbia Jamboree - the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development announced that the Prince George ATV Club (PGATV) was getting $15,000 and the Prince George Tabor Mountain Recreation Society was getting $20,000 "to improve trail riding conditions and promote rider safety."
The PGATV money was specifically allocated to a bridge over George Creek and the rest to rehabilitate the off-road vehicle route from Prince George to Wells.
That trip was the featured tour when the jamboree came to this area in late August. The backcountry trail that links Prince George (starting at Tabor Mountain) to the arts and industry hamlet of Wells and its Barkerville historic attraction next door is one of the tourism highlights of the area, according to the event's organizers.

October 18, 2018 - Groups get funding for trails

PG Citizen - Article

Two Prince George groups have received funding to improve trail riding conditions and promote rider safety, the provincial government said Thursday.

The Tabor Mountain Recreation Society is getting $20,000 to carry out trail maintenance and the Prince George ATV Club has secured $15,000 to build a bridge over George Creek and repair the accompanying trail.

The money comes out of the Off-Road Vehicle Trail Fund, generated through a portion of registration fees collected under the Off Road Vehicle Act by ICBC. In all 11 groups received a share of $100,000.
Representatives from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, the British Columbia Snowmobile Federation, British Columbia Off-road Motorcycle Association and ATVBC evaluated 28 applications before making the final decisions.
The fund is administered by the ministry's Recreation Sites and Trails Branch.

April 13 2015 - Off-road or off base?

PG Citizen - Article

Q: Where can off-road vehicles - including dirt bikes, ATVs and snowmobiles - be used within the city? If people are operating off-road vehicles where they shouldn't be, who is responsible for enforcing the rules? What kind of penalties can people face for using off-road vehicles where they shouldn't?

A: In a letter published in The Citizen on April 1, North Meadows area resident S. Husberg raised concerns about dirt bikers riding the trails alongside Foothills Boulevard, and the lack of clarity around who is responsible for enforcing rules on off-road vehicle users.

This is a perennial issue in Prince George, and one that has prompted many angry letters to the editor over the years by frustrated residents and park users.
City manager of bylaw services Fred Crittenden said off-road vehicles are regulated provincially by the Off-Road Vehicle Act.

July 31, 2015 - Northern Health wants ATV'ers to stay safe this summer

PG Citizen - Article

Wear the gear and stay sober is the message broadcast loud and clear by Northern Health when it comes to driving ATVs this summer. The two leading causes of injury or death of ATV riders are not wearing a helmet and driving under the influence.

"ATV injuries are a big concern in the north," said Shellie O'Brien, Northern Health injury prevention coordinator. "We see the results of these injuries in the news far too often."

The northern region experiences higher rates of injuries compared to the rest of the province, O'Brien added.
Most injuries are seen in men ages 15 to 29 and youth. 

September 24 2014 - Trail opens up nature to all

PG Citizen - Article

Pat Harris couldn't stop smiling as he wheeled through the forest on Tabor Mountain last Friday. The aroma of pine wafted through the crisp, fall air as gold-coloured leaves scattered the 450-metre trail.

"So far it's fantastic," said Harris, the resource manager for Spinal Cord Injury B.C. in Prince George. "The last time I saw this it was just roughed out. Clearly they had a vision. After wheeling around it now, it's more than I imagined."

The "it" Harris is referring to is the Great West Life Mobility Nature Trail unveiled Friday by the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society at Dougherty Creek at the end of Scott Road.

February 28, 2014 - Off-road vehicle bill draws accolade

PG Citizen - Article

Off-road enthusiasts will soon be subject to new provincial legislation designed to promote safe and responsible riding and Jeff Mohr is welcoming the move. 

Mohr, president of B.C. Quad Riders ATV Association and a Prince George resident, expressed strong support for Bill 13, the Off Road Vehicle Act, currently making its way through the B.C. legislature. 

"As far as I'm concerned it's all pluses, all the way right from start to finish," Mohr said.

April 24, 2014 - Safety tips for ATV riders

PG Citizen - Article

Northern Health provided some safety tips for all ATV riders to help reduce the number of injuries, hospitalizations and deaths associated with the activity. 

They are: Wear the proper gear.

The health authority recommends all riders wear an approved helmet, eye protection, gloves and a long sleeve shirt as well as long pants.

April 24, 2014 - Harm reduction top of mind as ATV season starts up

PG Citizen - Article

Legislation around the age and training requirements for young all-terrain vehicle riders could help make recreational trail riding safer and reduce fatalities, according to Northern Health injury prevention co-ordinator Lynette Hewitt.

"Legislation would be the ideal, but the next best scenario is a harm-reduction approach," Hewitt said.
About one quarter of all ATV-related deaths in Canada involve children and youth under the age of 15. The situation is particularly acute in northern B.C., where ATV injuries and deaths are well above the provincial average.
The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that ATV drivers be 16 years of age or older and Hewitt said codifying that recommendation into law would help. However she concedes it would only help make things safer if it came with appropriate enforcement tools.

August 5, 2014 - ATVing 'like a big family'

PG Citizen - Article 

The Prince George ATV Club is one of 40 clubs in the province, with two more from Terrace and Fort Nelson about to come on board. PG ATV Club member Jeff Mohr is in his third year as president of the ATV BC Association. With 2,700 members in B.C., it's his job to work directly with groups for the betterment of ATVing and all outdoor activities including motorized sports. 

"It's all about safety, environmental stewardship and keeping the trails open to everybody," said Mohr, a retired CN Rail employee. "We now have the opportunity to promote tourism which gets more people out of their towns and communities and getting them outdoors. ATVing is also accessible and people who are less mobile can still ride and see things they wouldn't be able to."

Mohr and his wife Marlene fell in love in the off-road vehicle sport 10 years ago when Jeff's brother lent them machines.

"[On the rides], ATVing is a chance to get to know each other, it's like a big family," said Jeff. "We B.S., we laugh and we joke. It's just wonderful."

Prior to the PG to Wells three-day ride, the Mohrs spent four-and-a half weeks on the road travelling to Coalmont for an ATV poker ride June 28; a point-to-point poker ride hosted by the Kootenay Rockies club near Cranbrook; a GPS poker ride at Three Valley Gap through the Rockies west of Revelstoke and the week-long ATV BC jamboree in Summerland from July 15 to 20.

August 5, 2014 - All's well that ends Wells

PG Citizen - Article

Beneath my helmet, my eyes constantly scan the rocky and muddy trail ahead as the powerful four-wheeler chugs forward.

Following a row of ATVs in single file going northbound, my hands have a firm grip on the steering wheel as my right foot shifts from the accelerator pedal to the brake below on the Can-Am Commander XT.

The terrain varies from easy, flat sections of forestry service roads, to single tracks of steep climbs and descents, veering left and right.

My passenger, Frank Muhle of Quesnel, the owner of the Commander XT - a side-by-side quad - laughs as I apologize for going over a bump on a route known as the Coq, a little too fast.

The quads, 25 in all, splash through muddy puddles in single file. Some shallow, others deep.

It's an adrenaline rush.

August 30, 2013 - Tabor story missed details

PG Citizen Article

Thank you for writing the story about the universal trail at the Dougherty Creek Campsite on Tabor Mountain. This campsite is under a joint lease with the Prince George Snowmobile Club, Prince George ATV Club and the Prince George Horse Society.

August 14, 2012 - ATV safety training available

PG Citizen - Article

All-terrain vehicle owners who may want to upgrade their safe riding skills in response to a fatal accident on Sunday have a place to turn to in Prince George. In fact, they have three of them.

Go to the Quadriders ATV Association of British Columbia website (www.atvbc.ca), and you'll find the names of Jeff Mohr, Don Sawatsky and Richard Bygrave as certified ATV safety instructors.
Over the course of an eight-hour day, they teach riders the basics of safely handling a vehicle that can weigh anywhere from 500 to 800 pounds and can be capable of travelling up to 100 km/h.

"Anybody that rides should take some sort of training," Mohr said Monday.

Being an active rider and knowing how to shift your weight to more easily control the ATV is a key aspect.

November 2, 2011 - Tabor Mountain trails celebrated

PG Citizen - Article

Despite set-backs, Steven Dubas, the president of the Tabor Mountain Recreational Society never gave up on his goal of having the 407 kilometres of trails formally recognized by the province, and on Saturday and his tenacity has finally paid off.

Members of the hiking, walking, ATVing and horseback riding communities came together to celebrate on Saturday.
"Today is a celebration of a task that has taken five years to accomplish. We've had obstacles pushed in our path, but we've always been focused on the goal ... 

These trails are motorized and non-motorized for everyone to use and will give people a place to explore," said Dubas.

March 26, 2010 - ATV rules are changing

PG Citizen - Article

When new provincial regulations come into effect in November 2011, free riding on all-terrain vehicles won't be as free as it used to be, but chances are it will be safer.

The province's new off-road management framework will introduce rules that require all off-road vehicle riders to register their machines and buy licence plates that will link those machines to their registered owners to help track irresponsible riders or stolen vehicles.

"It is a good thing," said Jeff Mohr, a director for the Quad Riders Association of B.C. (ATV/BC). "We've always said we want to punish the bad actors, not everybody for the things the bad actors do."

July 9, 2010 - ATV concerns of police

PG Citizen - Article

Prince George RCMP are concerned about a higher volume of complaints received regarding riding of All Terrain Vehicles in the area. 

The average calls are complaints about lack of courtesy and safety, RCMP Cst. Leslie Smith, media communications office, said in a news release Friday.

"Although the majority of ATV enthusiasts follow the rules of the road and stay safe while having fun, there are concerns by police and bylaw officers ranging from incessant noise to dangerous riding on public roads and walkways."